Musikfest Prices

I'm back from another vacation, highlighted by watching the Atlantic City Air Show from the beach in nearby Brigantine. We couldn't see it all, of course, but we had formations of jets roaring overhead all afternoon, and we could easily see many of the stunts they were performing for the huge audience in Atlantic City.

The only unfortunate thing about being off was that all kinds of column-worthy things were happening, and I wasn't around to write about them. I hope to catch up with some of them in my columns this week and next, but in the meantime, I wanted to throw out a brief comment about the rainy last weekend of Musikfest and ArtsQuest President Jeff Parks' controversial plea for "Save Our Songs" contributions to defray the festival's $750,000 loss.

Not surprisingly, this request was greeted in The Morning Call's online comments and letters to the editor with tremendous hostility. How can an event that charges $7 for a beer be asking for handouts?

Considering the way I draw attention to Musikfest's food and drink prices every year with my Eating My Way Through Musikfest column, I may be an odd one to defend ArtsQuest on this point, but I'm going to do it anyway.

Yes, the food is expensive. Yes, $7 beers are ridiculous. But man, are we spoiled.

How many places can you expect to walk around for 10 days and listen to really good free music in pretty much any style you can imagine? I was there for three days/nights, and I'll bet I heard 10 terrific musical acts, not counting what I could hear from outside the main Sands Steel Stage, where you do have to pay. I also saw a wedding, marveled at the continuing transformation of a huge abandoned brownfield into a beautiful arts venue (that's Morning Call photographer April Bartholomew's photo above) and was impressed at how seamlessly the organizers managed to unite the North Side and South Side Musikfest sites.

When you're paying $9 for a taco salad or $8 for a sandwich, you're also paying for Ana Popovic, Donovan Roberts, Cast in Bronze, the Sensational Soul Cruisers, the Barynya Balalaika Duo, Mingo Fishtrap and hundreds of other attractions, not to mention the logistics of running an event this size. You're more than getting your money's worth. And if you choose not to eat or drink while you're there, you still get the music for free.

None of this is to say that we owe ArtsQuest contributions or that its plea for help was good public relations. They're ultimately responsible for building a workable business plan and managing their own event. It was inevitable that some people wouldn't like being hit up for money and that the Musikfest haters out there -- and there are plenty, including Bethlehemites inconvenienced every year by the festival -- would use this as an excuse to unload on Parks and his creation.

But the rest of us ought to maintain a little perspective about why we're paying more to drink and eat than we would at the corner bar.

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$7 beer prices are pretty standard prices at nearly every major sporting event or concert. People nee to let that one go. $7 drinks at any decent restaurant is not unheard of either.

Posted By: Joseph Kola | Aug 22, 2011 1:03:06 PM

That reminds me. I promised a couple of my customers at the Americaplatz beer tent (I was volunteering with a group of Morning Call people) that I would conduct an experiment to see if you really get 24 ounces of liquid in one of those Musikfest mugs.
IronPigs, whose prices tend to be pretty reasonable, charge $5 for a 16 ounce beer and $8.50 for 32 ounces.

Posted By: Bill White | Aug 22, 2011 1:07:11 PM

I am certainly one to be hesitant in paying $9 - $12 for certain foods that I can usually get for $3 - $4, but I still buy it, because I am being entertained by all the polka bands, and my daughter gets to do free crafts, and there are all sorts of free giveaways as you walk around. All of the free stuff greatly outweighs the pay increase on all the foods, in my opinion.

On the other hand, I was just in Sunbury this past weekend, and enjoyed their River Festival. We got 2 amazing gyros, a large lemonade in a collectible mug, a huge thick chocolate shake, a small ice cream and a child size ice cream (which actually came out to what looked like a medium and a large at other places). All of that and we got away for under $20 total. That's great for my wallet, but meanwhile there were no free crafts, no give aways, and some local music that sounded more like a drunken karaoke singer with an overly-loud badly played guitar.

I'll support Musikfest anyday, as long as they keep up the enterainment value.

Posted By: Dave Oblas | Aug 22, 2011 1:07:11 PM

I go to Musikfest about once every five years. I'm not really that big of a music lover, and when I go, it's primarily to gawk at everyone else. I have no problem with their prices bc I simply don't pay them. I don't have a problem with Jeff Parks or his salary. Contrary to what I have seen posted anonymously, I consider Jeff a decent and pleasant guy.

We are still in the middle of a recession. I can't speak for others, but my own income is reduced. Between Jeff Parks and the widow of a slain Freemansburg police officer, I'll go with the widow. Jeff was making his appeal for money at the same time that a fund was created for her and her two children. To me, this makes far more sense.

Also, this should be a message for those who advocate spending down fund balances to ridiculously low levels. There should be a rainy day fund for local government, nonprofits and any business. Jeff blew that call.

My impression is that they spent it down to get SteelStacks up and running this year. They've never had much of a rainy day cushion, because Musikfest never makes a big profit.

Posted By: Bill White | Aug 22, 2011 1:43:24 PM

The Arts Quest plea was BAD PR, but if they would have reported a 1 mil profit last year, the public would have complained. They are in a Catch 22 where they need to stay close to the break even mark every year. That being said it does seem that Hogar Crea took a big hit/loss. If I could only support ArtsQuest OR Hogar Crea, Hogar Crea wins hands down for all the good they do. And that being said, without Musikfest, Hogar Crea would not have the ability for its yearly fundraiser. So I guess the $7 beer and $9 taco is paying for much more then the food and music..